Agitator for gas producers



'Ma rch 28, 1950 A. GALUSHA 2,502,141

AGITATOR FOR GAS PRODUCERS Original Filed Aug. 18, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 4450?? L. 6144 05/744 HIS ATTORNEYS March 28, 1950 A. 1.. GALUSHA 2,502,141

AGITATOR FOR GAS PRODUCERS Original Filed Aug. 1a, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR 445597 .4. 641.03%)

Hi3 ATTORNEYS I Patented Mar. 28, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Original application August 18, 1943, Serial No. 499,155. Divided and this application January 2, 1948, Serial No. 221

19 Claims.

My invention relates to agitators for use in gas producers.

It has long been recognized that to insure even burning fuel in gas producers some means of stirring or agitation of the fuel bed is necessary. Devices which have previously been used for this purpose have either fallen short of accomplishing the desired result or have been prohibitively expensive because of high maintenance and replacement costs.

The present invention provides fuel agitating means of improved construction. Such construction aids in the production of at a temperature low enough to permit the gas being passed directly to a dust collector of more eificient type. Moreover, by aiding in the lowering of gas temperature, use of the novel agitator permits the product to be passed through a suitable pump or pressure booster without having to be washed or cooled.

This is a division of my patent application Serial Number 499,155, filed August 18, 1943, for Gas producer, now Patent No. 2,440,940, issued May 4, 1948.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a View partly in vertical section and partly in elevation of a gas producer provided with a fuel agitator and directly associated with 2 dust collector and pump in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a View in elevation of a detail of the operating means for raising and lowering the agitator;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a detail of the operating means for rotating the agitator;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the means for changing the direction of vertical movement of the agitator;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as on line 5-5 of Fig. 1 and showing a further detail of the operating means for rotating the agitator;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken as on line 6-45 of Fig. l and showing in plan view the agitator shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. '7 is a transverse sectional view of the agitator shown in Fig. 6 taken as on line 1-'l of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an end view of the agitator shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of an end portion of the agitator shown in Fig. 6,

The apparatus in accordance with this invention is shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing mounted in my novel gas producer A. The agitator H comprises a substantially flat tubular member M having reduced threaded ends closed by removable caps 15. Downw'ardly inclined flanges 16 extend along one side from each end to the center of the tubular member It, the flanged sides being oppositely positioned at the two ends of the tubular member. To each flange i6, bolts ll detachably secure a wear plate it which extends the full length of the flange and projects both above the tubular member l4 and below the flange 16. Each bolt opening in the wear plate It comprises a portion adapted to receive the bolt head and a portion adapted to fit closely about the bolt shank so that the wear plate may be applied without removal of the bolts from the member M. A bolt is engaging the wear plate and flange prevents longitudinal movement of the wear plate. The tubular member I4 is connected at its center to a pipe 20 which is open to the interior of the tubular member 64 and is suitably mounted for rotating and longitudinal movements in a bearing in the top of the gas producer and a bearing supported from the feed bin C. At its upper end the pipe 20 projects into a central opening formed in the feed bin C by an inner wall 23 of the feed bin and is rotatably supported in a yoke 24 connected by a cable 25 to a suitablecounterweight 26. The cable 25 passes upwardly from the yoke 24 through a central opening in the storage bin E formed by the inner wall 21' of the storage bin and over pulleys 28 supported by suitable brackets 29 secured on the walls of the storage bin E.

Mounted in the pipe 20 and projecting from the upper end thereof is an inner pipe 3! which is connected at its lower end to branch pipes 36 extending to the ends of the tubular member M. A cooling liquid is supplied to the pipe 39 by a flexible tubular connection 3"! connected to a suitable source of supply. The cooling liquid supplied to the pipe 3!] is discharged from the ends of the branch pipes 36, passes through the tubular member M and up the pipe 26 to be discharged at the closed upper end of the pipe 20 to a flexible discharge connection it.

To rotate the agitator I-I there is provided a ratchet wheel ll fixed on the pipe 28 and a ratchet pawl t2 pivotally mounted in a yoke 43 journaled. on the pipe 29. A spring biases the pawl 32 to engage the wheel 4|. To operate the yoke and pawl there is provided a variable speed motor M which, through a reducing gear 45, operates disk cranks 46 and 41 on the low speed shaft Q8 of the reducing gear 45. To the disk crank d6 there is connected the tubular member 49 of a yieldable link which also comprises a rod 55 pivotally connected to the yoke 43 and telescoping into the member 49 and a spring surrounding the rod 55 and tubular member 49 and held under compression by collars 49! and 50! on the member and rod, respectively. The spring 5i is confined under sufficient stress to operate the agitator H under normal operating conditions but is adapted to yield before the agitator is subjected to sufiicient stress to cause a break of the agitator or any of the operating parts.

The agitator H is raised and lowered by means of a yoke 52 secured to a nut 5% carried by a rotatable threaded shaft 55 and engaging between collars 53 fixed on the pipe 25. The shaft 55 is mounted in fixed upper and lower bearings 55 and 51 respectively, and is rotated in either direction by means of a ratchet wheel 58 fixed on the threaded shaft 55 and a double acting ratchet pawl 59 pivotally mounted in a yoke til journalled on the threaded shaft 55. The yoke 5. 3 is operated by a link 5! pivotally connected to the yoke 55 and to a pin 52 fixed in one of the openings 53 in the crank disk 5?. The openings 53 in the crank disk are spaced at diiierent distances from the center of the disk in order to permit of a variation in the number of teeth the ratchet wheel 58 is advanced by the pawl 59 at each operation. The pawl 59 is formed with the ratchet wheel engaging portions 5% and 552 on one side of its pivot point and on the other a recess 593 in which is engaged a spring pressed plunger 5t mounted in a carrier 55 pivotally sup ported in the yoke 65. To change the operation of the threaded shaft 55 so as to change the direction of movement of the pipe 25, the pawl 59 is operated so as to disengage the portion then engaged with the ratchet wheel and engage the other portion with the ratchet wheel. To operate the pawl, the nut 54 is provided with an arm 55% engaging a sleeve 55 arranged to slide on a fixedly mounted rod 57. Projecting from the sleeve 55 are arms 53 and 59 extending at different levels and in opposite directions from the sleeve 55. Pins Gill and 69! mounted in the arms 58 and 55, respectively, project toward the carrier 55 and are so positioned as to be engaged by the carrier 65 on opposite sides of its pivotal point when brought to the level of the carrier. The arms 55 and 69 and their respective pins being raised and lowered with the movement of the nut 5d, operation of the nut 54 in one direction will bring one of the pins 5M and tilt into position to be engaged by the carrier 55, causing the carrier 55 to be shifted about its pivot and move the spring pressed plunger 54 from one end of the recess 55-3 to the other. Movement of plunger 54 in the recess 593 rocks the pawl 59 to disengage one ratchet wheel engaging portion and engage the other, the plunger then holding the pawl 55 in its new position. The positions of the arms 58 and 69 and their respective pins can be varied within limits so as to vary the extent of the vertical movement of the agitator H in the fuel bed but it will be noted the agitator H will always be below the upper level of the fuel bed during normal or usual operation of the gas producer. Both the vertical and horizontal movements of the agitator H are carried on simultaneously so that the agitator is gradually raised and lowered within the limits of its movement as it is rotated about in the fuel bed.

What I claim is:

1. In a gas producer, an agitator comprising a horizontal member, motivating means comprising a vertical shaft connected to the center of said member for continuously rotating and continuously raising and lowering said member, in combination with wear plates comprising flat elongated rectangular plates extending longitudinally from the outer end of the horizontal agitator member inwardly to approximately the center of the member, said wear plates being detachably secured to the side of the member, the horizontal edges of the plates extending above and below the agitator arm, said plates being inclined downwardly and outwardly in the direction of rotation.

2. Agitator as claimed in claim 1 wherein the horizontal member has two downwardly inclined flanges extending from the center of the member to each end of the member on opposite sides thereof, the wear plates being detachably secured to the flanges.

3. In a gas producer, an agitator, comprising a flat tubular horizontal member, motivating means, comprising a vertical tubular shaft connected to the center of said horizontal member and open to the interior thereof for continuously rotating and continuously raising and lowering said member in combination with wear plates comprising fiat, elongated, rectangular plates extending longitudinally from the outer end of the horizontal agitator member inwardly to approximately the center of the member, said wear plates being detachably secured to the side of the memher, the horizontal edges of the plates extending above and below the member and the plates being inclined downwardly and outwardly in the direction of rotation.

i. In a gas producer, an agitator comprising a horizontal member, means for raising, lowering, and rotating said horizontal member and wear plates extending longitudinally from the outer ends of the horizontal member, inwardly to approximately the center of said member, said wear plates being attached to the side of the horizontal member, the horizontal edges of the wear plates extending above and below the horizontal member, said Wear plates being inclined downwardly and outwardly in the direction of rotation.

5. Agitator as claimed in claim 4 wherein the wear plates are detachably secured to said horizontal member.

6. Agitator as claimed in claim 4 wherein the horizontal member has two downwardly inclined flanges extending from the center of the member to each end, on opposite sides of the member, the wear plates being detachably secured to the flanges.

7. In apparatus of the class described, a gas producer, fuel feed chutes extending into said producer and adapted to supply fresh fuel directly to the upper surface of a fuel bed in said producer, an agitator comprising a horizontal member, rotating means for continuously rotating said member in a horizontal plane about an axis through its center, vertical translating means for continuously moving said horizontal memher up and down, and control means for confining the upper limit of the vertical movement of said member to a point below the bottom of fuel feed chutes, in combination with wear plates comprising flat, elongated, rectangular plates extending longitudinally from the outer end of the horizontal agitator member inwardly to approximately the center of the member, said wear plates being detachably secured to the side of the member, the horizontal edges of the plates extending above and below the agitator arm,

said plates being inclined downwardly and outwardly in the direction of rotation.

8. In an apparatus for the production of fuel gas by a process wherein a gaseous reactant is contacted with a fuel bed, a gas producer, an agitator comprising a horizontal member, means for continuously rotating said horizontal member about a vertical axis through its center and for continuously moving the horizontal member up and down, and means for limiting the vertical movement of the horizontal member to a path wholly within the fuel bed, in combination with wear plates extending longitudinally from the outer ends of the horizontal member inwardly to approximately the center of said member, said wear plates being attached to the sides of the horizontal member, the horizontal edges of the wear plates extending above and below the horizontal member, said Wear plates being inclined downwardly and outwardly in the direction of rotation.

9. In apparatus of the class described, a gas producer, fuel feed chutes extending into said producer and adapted to supply fresh fuel directly to the upper surface of a fuel bed in said producer, an agitator comprising a horizontal member, rotating means for continuously rotating said member in a horizontal plane about an axis through its center, vertical translating means for continuously moving said horizontal member up and down, and control means for conlining the upper limit of the vertical movement of said member to a point below the bottom of said fuel feed chutes; in combination with wear plates, extending longitudinally from the outer end of the horizontal member inwardly to approximately the center of said member, said wear plates being attached to the side of the horizontal member, the horizontal edges of the wear plate extending above and below the horizontal member, said wear plates being inclined downwardly and outwardly in the direction of rotation,

10. In an apparatus for the production of fuel gas by a process wherein a gaseous reactant is contacted with a fuel bed, a gas producer, an agitator comprising a horizontal member, means for continuously rotating said horizontal member about a vertical axis through its center and for continuously moving the horizontal member up and down, and means for limiting the vertical movement of the horizontal member to a path wholly within the fuel bed, in combination with wear plates comprising flat, elongated, rectangular plates extending longitudinally from the outer end of the horizontal agitator member inwardly to approximately the center of the member, said wear plates being detachably secured to the side of the member, the horizontal edges of the plates extending above and below the agitator arm, said plates being inclined downwardly and outwardly in the direction of rotation.

ALBERT L. GALUSHA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,441,330 Chapman Jan. 9, 1923 1,506,826 Galusha Sept. 2, 1924 1,524,511 Dreffein Jan. 27, 1925 1,531,857 Galusha Mar. 31, 1925 1,650,187 Climie Nov. 22, 1927 1,806,614 Culbertson May 26, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 6,719 Great Britain Jan. 19, 1905 12,479 Great Britain May 26, 1913 34,957 France June 11, 1929 315,327 Great Britain Aug. 7, 1930 342,961 Great Britain Feb. 12, 1931 343,065 Great Britain Feb. 13. 1931 

